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Admittedly, I’m a little obsessed with baby carriers. It’s the easiest way for me to get things done at home and when we are out and about. Charlotte REALLY likes to be held, and Bennett REALLY likes for me to play with him (and feed him, bathe him, pick up his room… you get the picture). Combine a fussy baby, an active toddler, and all of the things that I need to do throughout the day and I could have quite a disaster on my hands. But the solution is simple. Wear your baby. She thinks I’m holding her, and I still have two free hands to do whatever it is that I need to do.

There are a lot of baby wearing options out there, and you’ll have to go what works best for you. Personally, I like them all for different occasions but the carrier seems to be the most versatile. Recently I had the opportunity to try Bebamour’s Ergonomic Carrier which offers three different carrying positions.

It features soft, easy to wipe material, high quality buckles and straps, and double stitched reinforced connections so you’ll know your baby is safely attached at all times. The waist strap really helps to take the pressure off of the shoulder straps, which keeps my back and shoulders from hurting after use. The shoulder straps are adequately padded and all of the straps have generous length to them so they are adjustable to most body types.

Here’s why this carrier is so versatile… you can wear baby three different ways depending on their age and what activity you may be doing.

The first carry is front facing inwards. This is best for your littlest ones who might still need their heads supported. Or, if baby can hold it’s own head up, you can fold the support down so they can look around (see next picture of forward facing outward). Since Charlotte is still so little, this is the carry that we use (for now).

When baby gets a little older, you can do front facing outwards. With this carry, the head support is folded down so baby can see out. This one is great for curious little people who want in on all of the action.

Then, there’s the back facing inwards carry. I like this one for hiking, or another type of activity where you might not want something hanging in front of you. This carry is also best for older children because you’ll be unable to tend to them while they are behind you. You’ll also probably need help getting them in there with this carry.

One of the best things about the Bebamour Ergonomic Carrier is the instruction booklet that comes with the carrier. It gives you step by step instructions on how to do each carry, as well as the suggested ages and weights for use. I’m a huge fan of this carrier… I’m actually wearing it now!

After keeping us waiting until a solid week after her due date, sweet Charlotte finally made her debut. Eight and a half pounds and twenty one and a half inches… yea- I did that. She is wonderful, healthy and an excellent baby. And after taking a few months off from my responsibilities, I’m finally ready (I think) to return.

It’s been a bit of a challenge to be productive during the day. It’s true that two is more difficult than one. Chasing a toddler on anything less than a full nights sleep can (and does) test your patience. As Charlotte and I get to know each other better, there are times I could swear she nurses every half hour, which puts a complete stop to anything and everything else I might or might not be doing. They say to nap when your baby naps… but that can only happen when BOTH babies are napping (which has happened only once since she was born). I’m not whining. I promise. It’s not all bad. Bennett is handling the change like a champ, and I have a cuddly, soft, squishy baby to snuggle with (since my big boy seems to be outgrowing the cuddles). But these are my reasons (or maybe excuses) as to why I can’t seem to get anything done.

All of this aside, having another little person has allowed me a chance to try all of the newest baby gear and gadgets. And the best part- I get to share it all with you! I’ll be posting about the wonderful items when I can (I make no promises to be consistent), and am hoping to pass along the goodies as I can.

Stay tuned. It feels good to be back (and to get something done). However, I must go. My sweet squishy is calling for me.

Monogramming, initials, and letters spelling out baby’s name are all the rage right now! A while ago I had purchased these paper mache (cardboard-ish) letters from Joann’s for 60% off, but I could not figure out what to do with them. I had previously painted the number 1 for wee man’s 1’st birthday as well as some initials for my cousin’s wedding, but I found that even after multiple coats of paint there were still visible blemishes that showed through from the manufacturing of the letters. This time around I decided to go for fabric covered letters in hopes that they would satisfy the perfectionist image that I had in my head of the finished product.

What you’ll need:

Paper mache letters- available at Joann’s, Hobby Lobby and some online stores

Fabric (multiple colors/patterns, or all the same)

Poster board or thick paper

Craft glue

Scissors

Ruler

Pen/pencil

Step 1: Iron the fabric that you’d like to use for the front of your letters. Then, lay your letter over the fabric, and cut around the shape of the letter leaving about an extra 3/4 inch of fabric all the way around.

In the case of the J, I cut a slit down the center of the fabric where the J curves, however since each letter has unique curves, you’ll have to sort of wing it. I do suggest at least starting a hole for letters like B where the gaps are in the center. If you don’t, you may find it very difficult to start a cut once you’ve begun gluing.

Step 2: This step will be easiest if you chose an abstract or solid pattern rather than a geometric or linear pattern. I had quite a hard time getting the chevrons to line up and not be crooked. Pick a straight line on your letter (without curves or holes) to anchor your fabric. Apply enough glue that it will stick, but not so much that it blobs everywhere or takes forever to dry. Make sure you are applying the glue to the side of the letter and not the front. Once your glue is applied on the straight area, line up your fabric over your letter, and stick the part that hangs over onto where you applied your glue.

Step 3: Following the same procedure that you did for step 2, glue down the fabric to the rest of the straight areas. Leave the curved parts alone for now. Doing the straight parts first will ensure that your fabric goes on straight and without any bubbles or creases.

Step 4: Now lets tackle the curved areas. Take your scissors and cut 1 cm wide slits in the fabric around the curved areas. I did this by using the letter itself as a stopping point for my scissors so that I did not cut too far forward. Just place the tip of your scissors up against the letter while you are making your slits. Once you’ve made your cuts, apply your glue. Then take each centimeter thick piece of fabric, pull slightly to make sure it will lay flat, and stick it down. I started a piece near the center of the cuts and worked my way outwards.

If your letter has holes in it, follow the same procedure. Be sure to cut a slit at the corners if there is a 90 degree angle.

Once you’re done with this step, you should have a letter with the front side completely covered and the sides looking super messy. Don’t worry, we’ll fix that.

Step 5: Now, we’ll start making the part to cover the sides. Measure the width of the side of your letter. Mine was 1 inch. Take your poster board and measure a long 1 inch strip. Depending on your letter, you may want to measure for more than one strip. Then cut them out.

Step 6: Take one of your strips and use it to measure around your letter. Start at a corner and act as if you were gluing it down. Notice where the strip ends… is that where you want a seam? If not, then cut it so that it ends at a corner, and use another strip to make up the difference. Also, now is the time to measure how long of a strip you’ll need for the letter holes. Cut the length just slightly longer than you think it needs to be in order to avoid gaps.

Step 7: Iron the fabric you’re going to use for the sides. Ideally, it should be at least the length of your measured poster board strips. Lay the fabric flat and place your pre-measured poster strips on top of your fabric. Cut fabric strips that are about a half inch wider on all sides.

Step 8: Apply glue all the way around the sides of the poster strip. Then fold the fabric over all the way around the edges. You now should have fabric covered poster board cut to the exact length you’ll need to cover your letter.

Step 9: Beginning with a corner (and doing it the same direction that you did when you measured), apply a generous amount of glue to the side of the letter. Stick down the strip. Apply the glue a little at a time as you go. Keep going until you’ve applied the strip to entire letter. It can be kind of tricky for letters with holes… I found it was easiest to apply glue to the entire hole, coil up the strip a bit, then apply it.

Congratulations! You’ve created a modern and adorable accent for any room!